Have you ever been in love?
by xxx-angelin-xxx
Summary: She hated him, she truly did; he was ruining her Christmas. Then why the only thing she could think about when she saw him was how much she had missed him?   Rose/Scorpius


Written for **anysomething **over at LiveJournal, in RoseScorpius Secret Santa.

I was insired by these quotes (the two first can be found inside the story):

-_"Holidays in general breed unrealistic expectations. The minute you start wondering, 'Is it going to be wonderful enough?' it never will be."_ -Pepper Schwartz

-_"Have you ever been in love? I'm talking about spectacular, consciousness-altering love."_ -Writers of LOST

-_"That's what the holidays are for- for one person to tell the stories and another to dispute them. Isn't that the Irish way?"_ -Lara Flynn Boyle

Beta read by lovely **RoseScor90**:)

* * *

**Have you ever been in love?**

Have you ever been in love? I'm talking about spectacular, consciousness- altering yet self- destroying love. The kind that makes you reconsider everything about yourself and the world. The one that terrifies you so much that you'd rather deny it than live it. Love that makes you stop thinking of yourself first. This love, even if it doesn't last forever, is worthy of all the trouble it has brought because it makes people better.

I'm talking about the kind of love few people experience in their lives.

.

_I've always loved Christmas. I loved _everything _about that holiday: the cold weather, the snow, the stories, the songs, the food, the cookies Granny baked, the warm and happy atmosphere, even the preparations. It's the Christmas spirit that makes everything so beautiful!_

_Like every year in December I was so excited, making plans for what I would be doing. And every year everything would follow the plan and I would be so happy! Tradition was important to me and so I followed it and had so much fun. Like every kid I loved Christmas and everything it brought with it._

_But not that year, my seventh at Hogwarts. Who was that wise man who once said that_ Holidays in general breed unrealistic expectations. The minute you start wondering, 'Is it going to be wonderful enough?' it never will be? _He was proved right. At least partly._

_Like everything else wrong- and right- in my life it had to do with Scorpius. Starting our seventh year we found ourselves Head Boy and Girl. And that started everything._

_Rose_

.

_Scorpius Malfoy wasn't exactly my friend but he wasn't my enemy either. He was the one person who I knew I could always turn for support._

_Rose_

The library was always full of students in the late afternoon and Scorpius knew that. He should have come earlier. Cursing inwardly he walked towards a table where only one girl was sitting, looking absorbed in her textbook.

"Mind if I sit here?"

Rose Weasley looked up, appearing annoyed from him interrupting her. "Whatever," she answered and returned to her book.

He sat across her quietly and begun writing his Transfiguration essay. He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard her sigh and looked at her only to find her shutting her Charms book furiously making the table rock.

"What's wrong, Rose?" he asked standing up to walk towards her.

"Nothing," she snapped.

He raised an eyebrow, kneeling next to her.

"It's just something I read…" she faltered.

Scorpius smirked. "I'm pretty certain Charms are heartbreaking," he mocked her.

She shot him a killer look in response. "I hate you, Malfoy!"

He patted her shoulder in a friendly manner. "It's alright."

His tone and father-like expression made her chuckle slightly. "I just couldn't focus… And that annoyed me since it's an important lesson," she admitted.

He smiled. "You _can_ get over it… You're just having a bad day."

Rose smiled back. "Thanks."

He stared at her for a while before abruptly getting up and returning to his seat. "I should keep reading," he murmured.

.

_There were times when I wanted nothing more than to punch that girl in the face. She annoyed the hell out of me and she could never but_ ever _understand me. I'm not saying I'm responsible for it. But sometimes it looks like she just doesn't want to._

_Scorpius_

"Hey, Weasley!"

Rose rolled her eyes and kept walking. "I'm too busy to waste even a second on you, Malfoy!"

"I'll walk with you," he announced, ignoring her obvious hostility. "Do you want me to carry something for you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"Who said I want something?" he complained. "I'm just being nice…"

She stopped and looked at him. ".." Smiling, she continued her way. "We both know that."

Scorpius sighed. "Fine…" he admitted. "Can you cover for me tonight at patrol? I have to _study_…"

She tried to fake a smile but it turned out to look like a grimace. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to risk my badge for you to snog some twit!" she exclaimed.

"Who I'm going to snog is not your business," he answered her angrily.

"Fine!" she snapped. "But since you weren't going to _study_, see you at nine, Malfoy!"

"Bitch," he murmured.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Weasley- just the truth," he challenged.

"I think you should check your truth detector then, Malfoy! It has gotten too Slytherin-ish!"

"If being a Slytherin means getting what I want no matter how, I'm okay with that! You know… unlike you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to waste anymore of your valuable time, Rose," he told her calmer than before. "I'll see you tonight." And with that he turned to leave but her voice stopped him: "You do that a lot lately, but you shouldn't; you shouldn't call me 'Rose'. It just… it doesn't make sense."

Scorpius smiled sadly. "See? That's exactly what I was talking about."

.

_Beneath all his smartass-ness, he was such a stupid boy. He could have told me the truth. I would have understood and helped- like he would have done for me._

_As Head Boy and Girl we had to talk more and spend a lot of time together that year. It didn't bother me like it should have- I had always enjoyed his company and his ironic comments but I knew this was bad. He was Scorpius/i Malfoy iafter all. What would my family say?_

_Rose_

They discussed only what was necessary for patrol that night. The following morning they had Arithmancy together and, probably for the first time in his seven years at school, Scorpius slept in class. Noticing how tired he looked, Rose decided not to wake him until the class was over when she gently elbowed his side.

She found him in the library later, trying to study and failing miserably.

"Here," she said, handing him a cup. "Drink this."

"What's this?"

"It's called coffee. A Muggle drink but it will help you feel better," she explained.

"I don't drink Muggle stuff," he complained but obliged, drinking it all at once.

There was silence for a while till Rose decided to break it. "You actually had to study last night, huh?"

He nodded. "Quidditch practices have been taking up a lot of my time lately. And sometimes it looks like there aren't enough hours in the day to study and practice and patrol and sleep…" Taking a deep breath he continued: "I just wanted to tease you… that was why I didn't tell you. You were right not to let me, though; I was horrible."

"Are you apologizing?" she asked, pleasantly surprised.

Scorpius smiled. "Kind of."

"How un-Slytherin of you!" she joked.

"Not really…" He smirked. "Slytherins do anything to get what they want."

"Oh… What do _you_ want?"

He didn't answer- only stared her so intensely that she was unable to look away. After a while she took a deep breath and took her eyes from his. "Anyway… Next time just tell me, okay?"

He nodded.

Smiling, Rose got up to leave but stopped. "And… _you_ can make it."

He chuckled. "Thanks."

.

_In my opinion, I made one big mistake in my life: I fell in love with the girl whose parents were responsible for my family's downfall. I fell for the one girl I had sworn to hate._

_But I couldn't help it. I wasn't a fan of the "ignoring someone means hating him" option so I went for the "make their lives living hell" one. But for every insult she had an answer and soon she proved herself a worthy competitor. As the years passed we got to know each other. We learnt to read signs and secret thoughts; we exchanged opinions without ever intending to._

_I don't know why or how it happened. I just know it did. It wasn't one moment in which I fell for her. It was the gradual procedure of seven years._

_Scorpius_

"I'm sorry, can I ask you something?" a first year asked Rose.

She turned to him, smiling. "Yes, of course."

"Which way to the Potions Classroom? I… I always manage to get lost…"

"Oh, don't worry! I got lost all the time during my first year here. It's right down these stairs. You'll find it immediately, I'm sure," she guided the boy.

"Thank you, Mrs. Head Girl," he said and ran to the stairs, making Rose laugh remembering herself seven years ago.

"Mrs. Head Girl, Mrs. Head Girl…" she heard a derisive voice behind her.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"I'm just noticing how good you are in giving orders…" he mocked.

"I wasn't…" she tried but then sighed. "Scorpius…"

"I wanted to remind you, Mrs. Head Girl, of our potions assignment." He continued in the same tone. "Library at 7, okay?"

"Whatever, Malfoy. I don't need a rememberal. _I_ have mind."

Scorpius chuckled. "You have to prove that."

.

_No one knew her better than me. Say whatever you want but it's true. Through the years, I had acquired the ability to read her expressions and thoughts, to always know how to help her, what was best for her._

_Scorpius_

Rose was waiting for him in the Great Hall, with a big grin on her face. "Good afternoon, Malfoy."

"Excited to see me, Weasley?"

Laughing, she tried to push him away, managing only to hit his shoulder. "Idiot! Christmas Holidays begin tomorrow. Not even you and your stupid jokes can ruin that for me."

"Oh… I see. You'll have more free time to spend it studying, is that correct?" he joked.

"Hahaha… Your sense of humor is horrible, Malfoy. You should check it!"

"Most girls find my sense of humor sexy- if you want to know…"

"I don't want to know," she answered sternly.

Scorpius smiled with self- satisfaction before leaving for the side of the castle he had to patrol that night. They met again in an hour at the same place.

"Found anything?" she asked.

"Helga and Montague snogging in a broom closet. But I pretended I didn't see them… It would have been the fifth time Montague gets caught and I would have had to punish him," he answered casually.

"And you didn't do it because he's a Slytherin?"

He sighed. "What is it with you girls and Quidditch? Because he's the best beater I have!"

"Why are you the Head Boy, again?" she wondered loudly, although unable to hold back her laughter.

He smirked his trademark smirk and tried to answer but she spoke again: "Reasons like 'gorgeous' and 'awesome' don't count."

"I wasn't going to say that!" he protested.

"Like hell you weren't!"

Scorpius smiled. "Other than those you already mentioned," Rose rolled her eyes at that, "I think they made me the Head Boy because I'm way smarter than anyone in the school and no one else can stand you."

"Why, thank you, Malfoy!"

"Seriously, Weasley? Which other idiot puts up with your temper? And at the very end who knows you better than me after all those years?"

He stopped walking and turned to look at her. She stared at him, uneasy and surprised. And that was the moment he realized that he had just voiced the thought he knew she had too but was afraid to admit- as afraid as he was.

"Slytherin dormitories are that way," he murmured. "Goodnight."

_I couldn't but admire his self control that night. To a third person he would have appeared completely indifferent and calm. To me he seemed terrified, although there was no such sign on his face. And then I understood he was right. He knew me better than anyone like I knew him. And the power that gave me, terrified me too._

_Rose_

.

_He ruined my plans for Christmas. Of course, he did. That's what he usually does, after all. He made me so miserable during the holidays. With no reason, actually. I should have been happy, knowing that he might have feelings for me. But my mind was full of_ 'shouldn't's and 'mustn't's_. Our parents, our past… Merlin, I truly wanted to hate him._

_Then why did the moment I see him, the only thing I could thing about was how much I had missed him?_

_Rose_

The Ministry Ball for New Year's Eve was at least glamorous. The decorators had done some wonderful work in the ballroom. It was almost as beautiful as Hogwarts' Great Hall at the Yule Ball, over 30 years ago.

Of course, every wizarding family that respected itself was there. Rose was glad to see him again but didn't know if she should talk to him or not. So she decided to wait, after finding an excuse to get away from her family.

She wasn't wrong. Soon she saw her coming near her.

"Care to dance?" he asked. She simply nodded and followed him to the dance floor silently.

.

_It didn't happen overnight- that bond between Rose and I. Neither was it something that happens every day. Therefore, I couldn't just let go._

_Scorpius_

_5_

"Are we going to do the mistletoe thing?" she asked noticing him looking at the ceiling.

"Nah…" he disagreed. "That's cliché."

_4_

Rose raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking…" he continued, "the balcony thing?"

"Because that's less of a cliché!" she noticed, laughing nervously.

_3_

Scorpius opened his mouth to say something but immediately changed his mind. "Screw it!" and with that he leaned forward and kissed her.

_2_

It didn't surprise her, and she immediately responded, shutting her eyes and taking her hands from his neck into his soft hair. His kiss was passionate and she finally got to know what butterflies in the stomach was. She didn't care how many people were watching, she didn't care that the New Year was coming and she was losing the counting. All that she cared about was the fact that she was kissing Scorpius Malfoy and nothing and no one mattered anymore.

_1_

He had forgotten the need for breathing. He was finally kissing the girl he wanted without caring about families and names and reputations. It was magical.

_Happy New Year!_

Realizing he had probably rushed things, he slowed down and kissed her softly until he finally pulled back. Her eyes were still shut and when she opened them she smiled softly at him.

"Happy New Year!" he told her, pushing some of her hair back into her by then ruined braid.

"Happy New Year," she whispered back at him and, getting up on her tiptoes, she kissed him again, making him smile against her lips.

_There was no need for promises of 'forever' or for loud exclamations of love. We both knew it wasn't the right time. But we also knew that the time would come soon._

.

Somewhere in the other side of the room, Ron Weasley's eyes opened wide.

"Is that… our daughter?" he asked his wife.

Thankfully Hermione was able to get over her surprise easier. "Ron…"

"Oh, Merlin… It _is_ our daughter! Snogging some random guy!" he exclaimed.

"_Random guy_?"

"Yeah, Hermione, are you blind?"

"He's Malfoy, Ron…"

"I don't care who he is!"

"As in Scorpius Malfoy. _Draco Malfoy's son_?" she insisted.

"The fact that he's a Slytherin with idiotic relatives doesn't make me feel better, 'Mione!" he told her, irritated.

"Ronald…"Hermione said tenderly. "You've become so mature! You're like a normal father! I'm so proud!"

"Why? What did you expect me to do?" he wondered.

"Start screaming because he's a Malfoy. I'm pretty certain Rose had the same impression, that's why she was like that during Christmas…" she explained.

"You don't know me at all, both of you. I wouldn't care if this was the Minister's son! The problem is he's _touching_ my daughter!" He smirked sardonically. "He and I will have a little _conversation_ soon!"

* * *

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


End file.
